George tyler



(No Model.)

G. TYLER. CLOTHES DRIER.

No. 493,880. Patented Mar. 21, 1893.

v drier embodying my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT 'FFICE.

GEORGE TYLER, OF GREENVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN A. MONARY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLOTH ES-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,880, dated March 21, 1893. Application filed May 2, 1892. Serial No. 431,462. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE TYLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Mercer and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Driers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in clothes driers, and has special reference to a class of driers in which a series of bars is pivoted or hinged to a common support and adapted to be spread apart and extended in a convenient manner for use, or folded in a compact form so as to occupy very little space when not in use.

The invention consists firstin an improved sliding clutch constructed so as to provide a pivotal connection and support for a hinged bracket to which a series of independently hinged bars is secured in such manner as to adapt them to be easily adjusted and sustained at any desired height or folded upon the standard to which the sustaining clutch is secured.

The invention consists further in an improved connecting bar orlink combined with the sliding clutch and hinged bracket in such manner as to adapt it to automatically engage and lock the bracket when the clothes bars are extended in proper position for use.

Finally the invention consists in certain improved features of construction and combinations all as will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which form apart of this specification,Figure 1, represents a perspective View of a clothes Fig. 2, is a front elevation. Fig. 3, is a side elevation. Fig. 4c, is a detail illustrating the operation of the sliding clutch and hinged bracket or support for the pivoted bars. Fig. 5, is a bottom plan showing a cross section of the standard or support for the sliding clutch; and Fig. 6, is a rear view of the sliding clutch and attached parts, with the standard partly broken away.

Similar letters of reference are used to denote similar parts in each of the several views.

A, denotes the sliding clutch, B, the standard C, the hinged bracket, D, the clothes bars and E, the automatic connecting and sustaining link.

The sliding clutch A, preferably consists of sheet-metal and may be out, stamped or otherwise formed integrally with the rearwardly extending ears or hooks a, a, the depending open eyes or hooks a and the transversely slotted vertical extension a The hooked cars a, d',are adapted to embrace or clasp the edges or flanges b, of the T-shaped standard 13, so as to secure the clutch upon the standard and permit it to be slid up and down or back and forth thereon without becoming detached therefrom. The hooks or eyes 0, are adapted to receive studs or pins 0' projectlng from the bracket 0, and confine the same in engagement with the clutch when the parts are in position upon the standard, as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the bracket cannot be disconnected without removing the clutch from the standard.

The bracket 0, may consist of a curved practically U-shaped flat metallic strip 0, having inwardly projecting studs 01' pins 0, 0, formed integrally therewith, and a second or integral plate 0 separated from the strip 0, to receive between them the pivoted bars D; the strip and plate being connected by rearwardly extending arms or braces 0 which may be formed integrally with the strip and plate or rigidly attached thereto. The inner ends of the bars D are arranged between the metallic strip and plate 0, c and independently pivoted to the latter, so that they may be spread apart and sustained in a horizontal position for use in the manner indicated in Fig. 1, or folded as shown in Fig. 2, when not in use. In the horizontal position of the bars a hook or catch upon the hinged supporting bracket 0, is engaged by the sustaining link or rod E, for the purpose of holding the bracket with the clothes-bars in the desired position. The link E preferably consists of a U-shaped spring-metal rod or bar having its ends bent at right angles and inserted in the slightly elongated slot a of the clutch extension a so as to spring apart therein and cause said form a pivoted detachable connection with the clutch.

F, denotes an L-shaped plate having a camshaped arm f, and right-angled arm f, 3 ranged at right angles to the hinge of the bracket 0, the arm f, being rigidly secured to the plate 0 and the arm f, rigidly secured to the curved strip 0, so as to form a crossbrace connecting said plate and strip and adapted to prevent the same'from being unduly separated by the weight suspended upon the bars D. The inclined or cam-faced edge of the arm f, terminates in a notch or catch f which is adapted to engage the depending port1on e of the link E, when the bracket 0, 1s 1n a horizontal position. WVhen the bars D are lowered orv folded the link E will assume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, but when the bracket and bars are elevated the camf, will engage the foot 6, of the link and cause the same to slide upwardly thereon until it drops into the notch f as indicated 1n dotted lines in said figure, thereby automatically locking the bracket and extended bars 111 a horizontal position. In this position the clutch A may be slid up or down the standard and sustained at any point by the weight upon the bars D pulling upon thelink E, so as to bind the upper pair of hooks a,a, firmly to the back of the standard while the rear portion or studs 0', of the bracket 0 are forced inwardly against the front of the standard,thereby automatically securing the clutch at the desired height without rendering it necessary to use other fastening means. When the bars I)' are folded any suitable contrivance, as for instance a metal strip or case G, may be provided at the foot of the standard to receive the free ends of the bars and prevent their separation.

It will be understood of course that the clutch and bracket may be made of wrought or cast 1ron or any suitable material, although I preferably use sheet metal; and if desired a standard of any desired length may be employed with a series of sliding clutches and bars arranged thereon. The standard may also be secured to or suspended upon the wall of a room by means of screws, nails or suitable fastenings; the screws, if desired, passlng through the perforations 1), near the upper and lower ends of the standard into the wall.

The catch or hook f may be either integral with the plate F, or a separate catch may be employed in connection with an incline or cam of proper shape to cause the link to automatically engage the catch, and hence I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement of parts shown and described.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination with the standard, the sliding metallic clutch the hinged bracket, and the bars supported thereby; said clutch being provided with integral rearwardly projecting hooks or ears adapted to embrace the standard and sustain the clutch thereon,

in frictional engagement therewith substantially as described.

2. In combination with the standard, the sliding clutch adj ustably fitted on said standard in frictional engagement therewith, the bracket hinged to said clutch, the bars the pivoted link having its depending portion in proximity to said bracket, and means for antomatically causing the link to engage the bracket so as to sustain the latter in operative position, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the standard, the sliding clutch adjustably fitted on said standard iii-frictional engagement therewith, the

bracket hinged to said clutch, the bars the cam on said bracket, the catch, and the link depending from said clutch in proximity to said cam so as to automatically engage the catch when the bracket is raised, substantiall y as described.

4. A clothes drier comprising the standard, the sliding clutch, the hinged bracket, the independently pivoted bars, carried by said bracket the cam-plate having the catch thereon, and the sustaining link loosely connected at one end to said bracket and adapted to antomatically engage the catch when the bracket is raised to proper position, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the standard, the

clutch consisting of a metallic plate formed with ears adapted to clasp said standard and provided with the open eyes or hooks, depending therefrom the bracket having the studs or pins thereon adapted to engage said eyes, and the sustaining link detachably connecting the bracket and clutch whereby the clutch and bracket are hinged together and secured 'upon the standard without other fastenings,

substantially as described.

6. In combination with the standard, the sliding clutch supporting the hinged'bracket and bars, and provided with a vertical transversely slotted extension having grooves or indentations on opposite sides of the slot, and the detachable spring-metal link with bent ends adapted to be sprung into said slot and engage said grooves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE TYLER.

Witnesses:

W. G. MADGE, W. H. SYKEs. 

